World Congress told 'social factors' critical

MHF chair Alan White stressed the importance of social factors in premature male cancer deaths as he opened last month's World Congress on Men's Health (WCMH) in Vienna.

Alan White As one of the keynote speakers launching the three-day event, the Professor of Men's Health at Leeds Metropolitan University told the 200 delegates from across the world that the causes of the increased risk of men developing and dying from cancer were 'not clear' but that 'social conditions are a factor that seem to impact harder on men'.

Drawing on his work with Keith Cash, commissioned by the European Men's Health Forum, Alan presented detailed data from 17 countries across Europe — all telling the same story of premature male cancer death.

The WCMH brought together a wide range of clinicians, researchers and public health specialists and in a mostly clinically dominated agenda, the Forum was keen to get over its message.

Banks and Treadwell A highlight of this the fifth WCMH was the presentation MHF president Dr Ian Banks of a special award for his services to men's health.

Ian, pictured with fellow award-winner Dr Henrie Treadwell, director of Community Voices and Men's Health Initiative in the USA, was as busy as ever at this Congress. He chaired sessions on 'prevention and men's health' and 'workplace wellness' and joined the round-table debate on 'Partnership Of East And West In Men's Health — Time Has Come' which closed the Congress.

Ian described the award as a 'a great honour' and 'a tribute to all who have been involved in men's health at national and European level since the MHF was set-up in 1994'.